Multiple parallel processing assembly

ABSTRACT

A multiple parallel processing assembly has been developed. The assembly has (1) a plurality of vessels for containing material, each vessel having an open end and a fluid permeable end (2) a plurality of bottoms, each bottom having an open end and a closed end with the plurality being supported by a single first support plurality of vessels positioned within the plurality of bottoms; (3) a plurality of tops supported by a single second support with the plurality of tops engaged with the plurality of bottoms to form a plurality of sealed independent chambers; and (4) a plurality of fluid conduits in fluid communication with the chambers.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of relatedapplication U.S. application Ser. No. 09/465,213 filed Dec. 15, 1999which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a multiple parallel processingassembly and process for conducting multiple parallel processing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Before a material such as a catalyst is selected for use in acommercial application, a great number of known materials may becontemplated for use in the envisioned application. A large number ofnewly synthesized materials may also be considered as candidates. Itthen becomes important to evaluate each of the potential materials todetermine the formulations that are the most successful in theapplication such as catalyzing a reaction of interest under a given setof reaction conditions.

[0004] Two key characteristics of a catalyst that are determinative ofits success are the activity of that catalyst and the selectivity of thecatalyst. The term “activity” refers to the rate of conversion ofreactants by a given amount of catalyst under specified conditions, andthe term “selectivity” refers to the degree to which a given catalystfavors one reaction compared with another possible reaction, see,McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, Parker, S.B., Ed. in Chief; McGraw-Hill: New York, 1984; p. 854.

[0005] The traditional approach to evaluating the activity andselectivity of new catalysts is a sequential one. When using amicro-reactor or pilot plant, each catalyst is independently tested at aset of specified conditions. Upon completion of the test at each of theset of specified conditions, the current catalyst is removed from themicro-reactor or pilot plant and the next catalyst is loaded. Thetesting is repeated on the freshly loaded catalyst. The process isrepeated sequentially for each of the catalyst formulations. Overall,the process of testing all new catalyst formulations is a lengthyprocess at best.

[0006] Developments in combinatorial chemistry have first largelyconcentrated on the synthesis of chemical compounds. For example, U.S.Pat. No. 5,612,002 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,556 disclose a method andapparatus for multiple simultaneous synthesis of compounds. WO97/30784-A1 discloses a microreactor for the synthesis of chemicalcompounds. Akporiaye, D. E.; Dahl, I. M.; Karlsson, A.; Wendelbo, R.Angew Chem. Int. Ed. 1998, 37, 609-611 disclose a combinatorial approachto the hydrothermal synthesis of zeolites, see also WO 98/36826 and WO02/07873. Other examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,826, U.S. Pat. No.5,792,431, U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,982, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,927, and WO96/11878-A1.

[0007] Combinatorial approaches have been applied to catalyst testing toexpedite the testing process. For example, WO 97/32208-A1 teachesplacing different catalysts in a multicell holder. The reactionoccurring in each cell of the holder is measured to determine theactivity of the catalysts by observing the heat liberated or absorbed bythe respective formulation during the course of the reaction, and/oranalyzing the products or reactants. Thermal imaging had been used aspart of other combinatorial approaches to catalyst testing, seeHolzwarth, A.; Schmidt, H.; Maier, W. F. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 1998,37, 2644-2647, and Bein, T. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 1999, 38, 323-326.Thermal imaging may be a tool to learn some semi-quantitativeinformation regarding the activity of the catalyst, but it provides noindication as to the selectivity of the catalyst.

[0008] Some attempts to acquire information as to the reaction productsin rapid-throughput catalyst testing are described in Senkan, S. M.Nature, July 1998, 384(23), 350-353, where laser-inducedresonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization is used to analyze a gas flowfrom each of the fixed catalyst sites. Similarly, Cong, P.; Doolen, R.D.; Fan, Q.; Giaquinta, D. M.; Guan, S.; McFarland, E. W.; Poojary, D.M.; Self, K.; Turner, H. W.; Weinberg, W. H. Angew Chem. Int. Ed. 1999,38, 484-488 teaches using a probe with concentric tubing for gasdelivery/removal and sampling. Only the fixed bed of catalyst beingtested is exposed to the reactant stream, with the excess reactantsbeing removed via vacuum. The single fixed bed of catalyst being testedis heated and the gas mixture directly above the catalyst is sampled andsent to a mass spectrometer.

[0009] It is much more recent that combinatorial chemistry has beenapplied to evaluate the activity of catalysts. Some applications havefocused on determining the relative activity of catalysts in a librarysee Klien, J.; Lehmann, C. W.; Schmidt, H.; Maier, W. F. Angew Chem.Int. Ed. 1998, 37, 3369-3372; Taylor, S. J.; Morken, J. P. Science,April 1998, 280(10), 267-270; and WO 99/34206-A1. Some applications havebroadened the information sought to include the selectivity ofcatalysts. WO 99/19724-A1 discloses screening for activities andselectivities of catalyst libraries having addressable test sites bycontacting potential catalysts at the test sites with reactant streamsforming product plumes. The product plumes are screened by passing aradiation beam of an energy level to promote photoions andphotoelectrons which are detected by microelectrode collection. WO98/07026-A1 discloses miniaturized reactors where the reaction mixtureis analyzed during the reaction time using spectroscopic analysis. Somecommercial processes have operated using multiple parallel reactorswhere the products of all the reactors are combined into a singleproduct stream; see U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,354 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,726.U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,574 discloses an array of stoppers that may beinserted into the wells of any multititer plate.

[0010] Applicants have developed a multiple parallel reactor assembly tosimultaneously test a plurality of catalysts in a rapid, economical, andconsistent way. Applicants' invention allows for easy simultaneousassembly of the multiple parallel reactors. The tops and bottoms formingthe multiple parallel reaction chambers are attached to supports, onesupport for the plurality of tops and another support for the pluralityof bottoms, so that assembly involves manipulating only the two supportsinstead of individually manipulating the significantly larger number ofindividual components. However, applicant's invention retains a greatdeal of flexibility by not fully integrating the key components into thesupports. Each key component is individually removable from the support.Worn or defective components are readily individually replaced withoutdisturbance to other components. Similarly, the vessels containing thecatalyst which are housed within the bottoms can be individuallyremoved. The number of parallel reactors in the assembly is readilyvaried through the addition or subtraction of as little as one set ofkey components.

[0011] While evaluating a plurality of catalysts is one embodiment ofthe invention, the generally broad scope of the invention is directed toan apparatus and method for multiple parallel processing. The parallelprocessing may be the evaluation of catalysts, or may be completelydifferent types of processing such as adsorption or desorption. Theapparatus may be used for evaluating or processing any number of systemsincluding vapor, vapor-liquid, liquid-liquid, vapor-solid, liquid-solid,and vapor-liquid-solid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The purpose of the invention is to provide a multiple parallelprocessing assembly having (1) a plurality of bottoms, each bottomhaving an open end and a closed end with the plurality being supportedby a first support; (2) a plurality of tops supported by a secondsupport with the plurality of tops engaged with the plurality of vesselsto form a plurality of sealed independent chambers; (3) a plurality ofvessels, each vessel having an open end and a fluid permeable end, andpositioned within the chambers so that the fluid permeable ends of thevessels are farther from the open ends of the bottoms than are the openends of the vessels and (4) a plurality of fluid conduits in fluidcommunication with the chambers. A specific embodiment of the inventionis one where one or more heaters are positioned adjacent the pluralityof bottoms to heat the bottoms and the reaction chambers. Anotherspecific embodiment of the invention is one where one or more seals areused to engage the plurality of bottoms and the corresponding pluralityof tops and optionally another seal or seals to engage the plurality ofvessels and the plurality of tops to form the sealed reaction chambers.

[0013] Another purpose of the invention is to provide a process forconducting multiple parallel processing with the advantage ofsimultaneously sealing at least two of the open ends of the plurality ofbottoms with at least two of the plurality of corresponding tops to formthe multiple sealed independent chambers. A specific embodiment of theinvention also includes individually adjusting and controllingprocessing parameter for each independent chamber. Another specificembodiment of the invention is one where an additional fluid isintroduced to the assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0014]FIG. 1. is a side view of one specific embodiment of a singlereactor of a multiple parallel catalytic reactor assembly, which is oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0015]FIG. 2. is a side view of another specific embodiment of a singlereactor of the multiple parallel catalytic reactor assembly embodimentof the present invention.

[0016]FIG. 3. is a side view of yet a third specific embodiment of asingle reactor of the multiple parallel catalytic reactor assemblyembodiment of the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 4. is a side view of the preferred multiple parallelcatalytic reactor assembly embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] In general terms, the present invention is a multiple paralleltreatment assembly where each repeating unit in the assembly has severalkey components. Each repeating unit has a bottom having an open end anda closed end and a top which engages the open end of the bottom to forma sealed chamber. The sealed chamber houses a vessel having an open endand a fluid permeable end. The sealed chamber is in fluid communicationwith at least one fluid conduit. Two or more individual repeating unitsmay be used in the treatment assembly. The assembly is also quiteflexible, allowing the number of individual repeating units in theassembly to be adjusted with ease. One specific embodiment of theinvention is the multiple parallel catalytic reactor assembly. For easeof understanding, the details of the invention are provided in referenceto the multiple catalytic reactor assembly embodiment. One of ordinaryskill in the art would readily understand the broader scope of theinvention as defined by the claims to a multiple parallel treatmentassembly.

[0019] Each reactor in the parallel catalytic reactor assembly containsa bottom that has a closed end and an open end. Note, however, that theclosed end may contain a fluid conduit as discussed below. The bottomsare constructed of materials selected to withstand the temperatures,pressures and chemical compounds of the particular application. Examplesof suitable materials include metals and their alloys, low grade steel,and stainless steels, super-alloys like incollsy, inconel, hastalloy,engineering plastics and high temperature plastics, ceramics such assilicon carbide and silicon nitride, glass, quartz, Teflon polymer,nylon, low temperature plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, andpolyetherether ketone. It is not necessary that each vessel in theplurality be constructed of the same material.

[0020] The bottom is preferably cylindrical in shape, but may be ofother geometric shapes. For example, the cross-section of the bottom maybe in the shape of a square, an ellipse, a rectangle, a polygon,“D”-shaped, segment- or pie-shaped, a cord, a cone or the like. For easeof discussion, the bottom is discussed here as having a cylindricalshape. The bottom has a top end, sides, and a bottom end. The top end isopen and the bottom end is permanently closed. The preferred volume ofthe bottoms ranges from about 0.001 cm³ to about 10 cm³ with two mostpreferred volumes being 0.1 cm³ and 1 cm³. The preferred size of thebottoms ranges from a length/diameter ratio of about 1 to about 20. Itis more preferred that the length/diameter of the bottoms be greaterthan 4 and ideally 5 or 10. It is preferred that the bottoms beconstructed of material that is able to withstand temperatures of fromabout −196° C. to about 1000° C. It is also preferred that the bottomsbe constructed of material having good heat transfer properties, andthat the material of construction is inert in the reaction beingconducted. While it may be preferred, all the bottoms in the pluralityneed not be identical. The geometry, size, volume, and material ofconstruction may be varied between bottoms within the plurality.

[0021] Each of the bottoms may be a free-standing unit or independentpiece of apparatus, however, significant advantages are achieved throughattaching each of the bottoms to a single support. The attachment of allthe bottoms to a single support operates to provide the benefits ofhaving all the bottoms maneuverable as a single unit, while maintainingthe flexibility of replacing any or all of the individual bottoms asnecessary. For example, it is far more convenient for handling andassembly to be able to manipulate a single support as opposed toindividually manipulating multiple bottoms. Also, robotics, which arefrequently used in combinatorial application, are more readily adaptedto manipulating a single tray. Furthermore, as will be discussed ingreater detail below, the assembly of the reactors is reduced to asingle step which simultaneously seals and forms the multiple parallelreactors.

[0022] The support may provide for the attachment of any number ofindividual bottoms. For example, a support may attach 6, 8, 12, 24, 48,96, and 384 bottoms. Ease of handling is only one of the benefits of thesupport, flexibility is another. In any given application, the fullcapacity of a support need not be utilized, i.e., a support capable ofsupporting 24 bottoms may be used to support only two bottoms. Thesystem is very flexible in that the number of bottoms in use is easilyaltered by simply adding or removing bottoms to the support. Similarly,should one bottom of a plurality become worn or damaged, that singlebottom may be independently replaced without replacement of otherbottoms in the plurality.

[0023] As with the bottom itself, the support may be constructed of avariety of materials including those discussed in relation to thebottoms. The support may allow for the attachment of the vessels in anynumber of geometrical patterns with the preferred being a grid. It ispreferred that the support have dimensions similar to the dimensions ofcommonly used microtiter trays. It is preferred that the support beconstructed of material that is able to withstand temperatures of fromthat of liquid nitrogen, about −196° C, to about 1000° C, and for manycatalytic reactions, the support may be required to withstandtemperatures ranging from about 300° C. to about 1000° C.

[0024] The multiple bottoms and the support may be integrated to form anassembly which may be physically manipulated as a single unit. Thebottoms and the support may be affixed to one another to form the unit,or the bottoms and support may be formed from a single material, such asa monolithic block.

[0025] The multiple parallel catalytic reactor assembly of the presentinvention may optionally contain one or more temperature control devicessuch as heaters to heat at least a portion of one or more of thebottoms. For many reactions, the catalyst used in the reaction must beheated to a desired temperature range. The multiplicity of bottoms maybe heated as a unit, or each bottom may be individually heated. Allheated bottoms may be heated to the same temperature, or differentindividual bottoms may be heated to different temperatures usingindependent temperature control devices. The portion of the bottom thatis heated is usually that portion closest to the location of thecatalyst (discussed below), and generally, it is preferred that theclosed end of the bottoms be heated.

[0026] The multiple parallel catalytic reactors of the present inventionfurther contain a plurality of tops which correspond to the plurality ofbottoms. The tops engage the open ends of the bottoms to form sealedreaction chambers. Therefore, for every bottom in the plurality theremust be a corresponding top. The tops may be constructed of the varietyof materials as discussed for the bottoms. The support for the tops maybe required to withstand temperatures from −196° C. to about 1000° C.,but a preferred range of temperatures includes temperatures ranging fromabout 10° C. to about 350° C. It is preferred that each top in theplurality be constructed of the identical material, but it is notnecessary. Similarly, in some applications it may be preferred that theplurality of tops be constructed of the same material as thecorresponding plurality of bottoms, but again it is not necessary. Forexample, in the situation where only the closed end of the bottoms areheated, heat resistant material may be used for the construction of thebottoms, where non-heat resistant material may be used for thecorresponding tops. It is preferred that the length of the bottoms besufficient so that the tops are not affected by the heater used at theclosed end of the bottoms, thereby allowing lower temperature materialsto be used for the construction of the tops.

[0027] It is preferred that the overall shape of the tops conform to theshape of the corresponding bottoms so that the tops may adequatelyengage the bottoms to form sealed reaction chambers. The tops may beformed so as to merely seal the open end of the bottoms, or the top mayextend within the open end of the bottoms to further define the reactionchambers. If necessary, one or more seals may be used to engage both thebottoms and the tops to form the sealed reaction chambers. One seal maybe used to engage both the plurality of bottoms and the plurality oftops, or each set of a bottom and its corresponding top may have anindependent seal. An advantage of the present invention is that sealsthat function only at lower temperatures may be employed even if thecatalyst in the reaction chamber is to be heated to a high temperature.In such a situation, the catalyst is contained near the closed end ofthe bottoms and only the closed end of the bottoms are heated. Thelength of the bottoms are preferably chosen so that the position of theseal(s) is a sufficient distance from the heater and the seal(s) are notaffected by the heat. It is most preferred that the seals be preventedfrom exceeding 200° C.

[0028] A temperature control device such as a cooling device may beemployed to keep the temperature of the apparatus at an appropriatetemperature in the area of the seals. The cooling device may be any typesuitable to reduce the temperature of at least a portion of the bottomsso that the seals to do exceed their rated temperature. One or morecooling devices may be employed using individual control or commoncontrol. It is preferred that the cooling device be located closer tothe seals than the closed end of the housing. In applications using botha heating device and a cooling device, it is preferred that the coolingdevice be positioned between the heating device and the seals, and it ismost preferred that the cooling device be positioned near to the pointof engagement and sealing between the tops and the bottoms. Oneembodiment of the invention allows for the cooling device to be externalto the bottoms, while another embodiment of the invention allows for thecooling device to be within the sealed chambers.

[0029] As with the bottoms, each of the tops can be a free-standing unitor independent piece of apparatus. Again, however, significantadvantages are achieved by attaching each of the tops to a singlesupport. Manual or robotic handling and assembly is simplified bymanipulating a single support as opposed to individually manipulatingmultiple bottoms. Furthermore, as will be discussed in greater detailbelow, the assembly of the reactors is reduced to a single step whichsimultaneously seals and forms the multiple parallel reactors.

[0030] The support for the tops may provide for the attachment of anynumber of individual tops. For example, a support may attach 6, 8, 12,24, 48, 96, 384, and 1264 tops. As with the bottoms, ease of handling isonly one of the benefits of the support, and flexibility is another. Inany given application, the full capacity of a support need not beutilized, i.e., a support capable of supporting 24 tops may be used tosupport only two tops. The system is very flexible in that the number oftops in use is easily altered by simply adding or removing one or moretop to the support. Similarly, should a top of a plurality become wornor damaged, that single top may be independently replaced withoutreplacement of other tops in the plurality.

[0031] As with the tops themselves, the support for the tops may beconstructed of the variety of materials discussed above in reference tothe bottoms. The support for the tops may be required to withstandtemperatures from −196° C. to about 1000° C., but a preferred range oftemperatures includes temperatures ranging from about 10° C. to about350° C. The support may allow for the attachment of the tops in anynumber of geometrical patterns with the preferred being a gridarrangement. However, it is important that the arrangement of the topsbe such that it allows for each top to properly engage its correspondingbottom to form the sealed reaction chambers. It is therefore preferredthat the arrangement of the tops coordinate with the arrangement of thebottoms. The multiple tops and the support may be integrated to form anassembly which may be physically manipulated as a single unit. The topsand the support may be affixed to one another to form the unit, or thetops and support may be monolithic, formed from a single material, suchas a block.

[0032] Another component of the present invention is a plurality ofvessels to contain material such as catalyst. The material containedwithin the vessels may be solid or liquid. Each vessel has an open endand a fluid permeable end. Catalyst is added to the vessels through theopen end. The same catalyst may be placed in all the vessels or eachindividual vessel may contain a different catalyst or mixtures ofdifferent catalysts. The same mixture of two or more catalysts may be ineach individual reactor, but each at different relative componentratios. The vessel is positioned within the sealed reaction chamberformed by the tops and the bottoms. The open ends of the vessels arecloser to the open ends of the bottoms than are the fluid permeable endsof the vessels. One or more seals may be used to engage both the vesselsand the corresponding tops to form a catalyst zone. Seals aid incontaining the catalyst within the vessels and directing the fluid flowin the proper path for the application. Again, when a heater isemployed, it is preferred that the bottoms and vessels be sized so thatthe seals engaging the tops and the vessels be a sufficient distancefrom the heater so the seals do not exceed their useful temperature. Itis most preferred that the seals be prevented from exceeding 200° C.

[0033] The vessels may be in any of the shapes described above for thebottoms, and may be constructed of any of the materials described abovefor the bottoms or the tops. It is preferred that the vessels be of thesame overall shape as the bottoms and constructed of the same materialas the bottoms. The fluid permeable end contains a microporouscontainment device, which may be constructed of any material that iscapable of retaining solid particles while allowing gas or liquid topass through. The microporous containment device is attached at or nearthe fluid permeable end of the vessel and extends across thecross-section, or internal diameter, of the vessel. Examples includefrits, membranes, or fine meshed screens. Suitable frits includesintered metal, glass, sintered glass, and raney metals. Suitablemembranes include electro-bonded films and etched alloy films. Frits arepreferred for the microporous containment device, and it is preferredthat the frit cover as much of the cross-section of vessel as possible,and most preferred that the frit cover as close to 100 percent of thecross-section of the vessel as practical. It is most preferred to have afrit with small passages so that the fluid is well dispersed afterpassing through the frit. The interior volume of space defined by thetop, the sides of the vessel, and the microporous containment device atthe fluid permeable end of the vessel is a catalyst zone and containsthe solid catalyst particles.

[0034] As in most catalytic reactions, it is necessary to add at leastone reactant to contact the catalyst and to form a reaction mixture.Effluent is then withdrawn, typically for analysis. Therefore, each ofthe multiple reaction chambers of the present invention is in fluidcommunication with at least two fluid conduits, one to allow theaddition of fluid reactant and the other to allow for the withdrawal ofthe resulting effluent. Both fluid conduits may be connected to the topsor the support for the tops and in fluid communication with the reactionchambers, or both fluid conduits may be connected to the bottoms or thesupport for the bottoms and in fluid communication with the reactionchambers. Alternately, one fluid conduit may be connected to the tops orthe support for the tops and in fluid communication with the reactionchambers, while the other fluid conduit may be connected to the bottomsor the support for the bottoms and in fluid communication with thereaction chambers. In some particular applications it may be preferredthat both fluid conduits be connected to the tops or the support for thetops. One benefit to having both fluid conduits connected to the tops orthe support for the tops is the simplification of the overall assemblyof the apparatus thus the ease of use of the apparatus. As discussedbelow, assembling the key components may be simplified when the fluidconduits are all positioned on the same side of the apparatus.Furthermore, placement of the apparatus of the invention into otherdevices may be simplified by having all the fluid conduits on the sameside of the apparatus. For example, placing the closed ends of thebottoms of the assembled apparatus into a heater is simplified when allthe conduits are located on the same side of the apparatus.

[0035] The fluid conduits for the inlet of the reactant are positionedso that the fluid flow of the reactant enters the reaction chambers andpasses through the fluid permeable end of the vessel to enter thecatalyst zone and contact the catalyst. The fluid conduits for thewithdrawal of the effluents are positioned so that the effluents arewithdrawn from the catalyst zones without disrupting the flow ofreactants. The seals also help to control the fluid flow in the properdirection.

[0036] The fluid conduits may further contain a structure to preventsolid catalyst particles from being removed with the fluid effluent suchas a microporous containment device, which may be constructed of anymaterial that is capable of retaining solid particles while allowing gasor liquid to pass through. The microporous containment device may beattached to the fluid conduit near the vessel and extend across thecross-section, or internal diameter, of the fluid conduit. Examples ofmicroporous containment devices include frits, membranes, or fine meshedscreens. Suitable frits include sintered metal, glass, sintered glass,and raney metals. Suitable membranes include electro-bonded films andetched alloy films. Frits are preferred for the microporous containmentdevice, and it is preferred that the frit cover as much of thecross-section of fluid conduit as possible, and most preferred that thefrit cover as close to 100 percent of the cross-section of the fluidconduit as practical.

[0037] Alternatively, the microporous containment device may be attachedin a manner so that it protrudes into the vessel and extends at leastpartially across the cross-section, or internal diameter, of the vessel.The microporous containment device may be attached to the fluid conduit,to the top, or to the vessel. The Again, the purpose of the microporouscontainment device is to retain solid particles within the vessel andprevent the solid particles from being removed from the vessel with thefluid effluent.

[0038] The apparatus may further be equipped with a mixing device to mixthe contents of the vessel or the sealed chamber.

[0039] In heterogeneous catalytic applications, it is necessary to beable to open reactors in order to add or remove solid catalyst particleswithin the vessels. Note that the catalyst particles may be removed, or,for added convenience, it is preferred that the entire vessel containingthe catalyst be removed and replaced with another vessel containinganother catalyst to be evaluated. The multiple parallel catalyticreactor assembly of the present invention provides a significantadvantage in that the assembly may be opened and closed with ease. Withall the bottoms attached to a single support and all the tops alsoattached to a single top support, the two halves may be readily closedin a single step to form the multiple sealed reaction chambers. It isnot necessary to close each reactor individually, sequentially, one byone. All reactors are closed simultaneously by placing the top supportcontaining all the tops in alignment over the corresponding bottomsupport containing all the bottoms. While the reactors are closed andsealed, the fluid conduits in fluid communication with the reactionchambers provide the conduits for the introduction of reactant into thereaction chambers and the withdrawal of effluent from the reactionchambers without opening the reactors. Repeated opening and closing ofthe reactors to introduce reactants and remove products are notnecessary. The reactor may remain closed until solid catalyst particlesneed to be added or removed. When the reactors need to be opened to addor remove solid catalyst particles, all the reactors are openedsimultaneously in a single step by removing the top support containingall the tops from alignment over the corresponding bottom supportcontaining all the bottoms.

[0040] The fit of the tops into the open end of the bottoms may provideenough of a seal to maintain the sealed reaction chambers. However, ifnecessary, the tops may be held in place over the bottoms by a lockingdevice. Numerous locking devices are known in the art for holding twosupports together. For example, clamps, bolts, frames, and springs areall known locking devices that may be successfully employed in thepresent invention.

[0041] An optional component in the present invention is a plurality ofsensors within the plurality of independent chambers. A variety ofsensors may be suitable including those detecting operating parametersas well as those measuring, for example, chemical composition. Thesensors may be temperature sensors such as thermocouples. The pluralityof thermocouples extends into the reaction chamber in order to measurethe temperature of the solid catalyst particles. It is preferred thatthe thermocouples extend through the fluid conduit that is in moredirect fluid communication with the catalyst zone and into the catalystzone.

[0042] Without intending any limitation on the scope of the presentinvention and as merely illustrative, this invention is explained belowin specific terms as applied to specific embodiments of the invention asdepicted in the figures. FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 depict only a single reactorfor ease of understanding, multiple reactors would be employed in actualpractice. Referring now to FIG. 1, bottom 2 is cylindrical in shape andhas an open end and a closed end. Vessel 4 has fluid permeable end 6 andis positioned within bottom 2 and contains solid catalyst particles 18.Top 8 conforms in shape to bottom 2. Frit 19 is attached to top 8. Seal10, an o-ring, engages both top 8 as well as bottom 2 forming sealedreaction chamber 11. Seal 12, an o-ring, engages top 8 and vessel 4 todirect fluid flow in the proper path. Fluid conduits 14 and 16 areconnected to top 8 and are in fluid communication with reaction chamber11. Reactant is preferably flowed into reaction chamber 11 via fluidconduit 16, the reactant passes through fluid permeable end 6 of vessel4 and contacts catalyst particles 18. Effluent is withdrawn fromreaction chamber 11 via fluid conduit 14.

[0043]FIG. 2 is identical to FIG. 1 with the exception that fluidconduit 17 is attached to bottom 2 instead of to top 8 and that anoptional thermocouple 15 is shown. Thermocouple 15 extends through top 8via fluid conduit 14, through frit 19, and into reaction chamber 11.

[0044]FIG. 3 shows cylindrical bottom 20 and conforming top 22 witho-ring seal 26 used to engage bottom 20 and top 22 to form reactionchamber 21. Cylindrical vessel 24 is positioned within reaction chamber21 and has fluid permeable end 28. Vessel 24 contains solid catalystparticles 23 and is contained within reaction chamber 21. Fluid conduit32 is attached to bottom 20 and is in fluid communication with reactionchamber 21. Fluid conduit 30 is attached to top 22 and is in fluidcommunication with reaction chamber 21. Frit 31 is attached to fluidconduit 30. Fluid enters reaction chamber 21 via fluid conduit 32 andpasses through fluid permeable end 28 of vessel 24 to contact solidcatalyst particles 23. Effluent is removed from reaction chamber 21 viafluid conduit 30.

[0045]FIG. 4 shows a plurality of parallel reactors. Bottoms 40 arecylindrical in shape and each has an open end and a closed end. Vessels42 has fluid permeable ends 44 and are positioned within bottoms 40 andcontain solid catalyst particles 41. Each of the bottoms 40 are attachedto support 56. The closed ends of bottoms 40 are in contact with heater60. Heater 60 is positioned to provide heat to the closed ends ofbottoms 40 adjacent to the location of the solid catalyst particles 41of vessels 42.

[0046] Tops 46 conforming in shape to bottoms 40 are attached to topsupport 58. Seals 50, which are o-rings, engage both the tops 46 as wellas the open ends of bottoms 40 forming sealed reaction chambers 62.O-ring seals 48 engage both tops 46 and vessels 42 to seal the properfluid path. The length of bottoms 40 and vessels 22, the position ofheater 60, and the position of seals 50 and 48 are all chosen so thatseals 50 and 48 are sufficiently removed from heater 60 so as to beunaffected by the heat of heater 60. Optional cooling device 51 maybepositioned between heater 60 and seals 50 to keep the temperature of theseals from exceeding operating limits. Bolts 64 and nuts 66 lock topsupport 58 and support 56 together. Fluid conduits 52 and 56 areconnected to tops 46 and are in fluid communication with reactionchambers 62. Frits 53 are attached to fluid conduits 52.

[0047] The multiple parallel catalytic reactor assembly is used toconduct multiple parallel catalytic reactions by first introducing theplurality of catalysts 41 through open ends of the plurality of vessels42. The plurality of vessels 42 are inserted into the open ends ofbottoms 40 so that the open ends of the vessels 42 are aligned with theopen ends of the bottoms 40. The plurality of bottoms 40 housing vessels42 which contain catalysts 41 are simultaneously sealed using theplurality of corresponding tops 46 supported by a single top support 58to form multiple sealed independent reaction chambers 62. The closedends of bottoms 42 are heated using heater 60. A reactant fluid issimultaneously introduced via fluid conduits 52 or 54 to each sealedindependent reaction chamber to contact the catalysts contained thereinand to form a plurality of reaction mixtures, one reaction mixture ineach sealed independent reaction chamber 14. Effluent from eachindependent reaction chamber 62 is simultaneously withdrawn using fluidconduits 54 or 52, whichever was not used to introduce the reactantfluid. The effluent may be analyzed to determine the activity,selectivity and/or yield provided by the catalyst. When the catalystsare spent or the test is complete, the multiple sealed reaction chambers62 are opened, simultaneously, by removing the plurality of tops 48 fromthe open ends of the plurality of bottoms 42. The plurality of vessels42 containing the catalyst particles 41 may then be removed.

[0048] One of ordinary skill in the art would readily understand how thescope of the apparatus and process of the invention is broader than themultiple parallel catalytic reaction assembly embodiment. Othermaterials such as adsorbents could be evaluated using the apparatus andprocess of the invention. Liquid material may be contained in the vesseland contacted with a gaseous fluid. The effluent of the vessel, whilestill within the seal chamber may be contacted with an additional fluidfor further treatment such as reaction or dilution. Operating parameterscan be individually controlled for each repeating unit thereby adding alevel of customization of the processing.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multiple parallel processing assembly comprising: a) a plurality of bottoms, each bottom having a closed end and an open end, said plurality of bottoms supported by a first support; b) a plurality of tops supported by a second support, said plurality of tops engaged with said open ends of the plurality of bottoms to form a plurality of independent chambers; c) a plurality of vessels, each vessel having a fluid permeable end and an open end, said each vessel contained within a corresponding independent chamber so that said fluid permeable end of said vessel is further from said open end of said bottom than is said open end of said vessel, and; d) a plurality of fluid conduits in fluid communication with the plurality of independent chambers.
 2. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 wherein a material is contained within the vessel.
 3. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 2 wherein the material is a solid or a liquid.
 4. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least one mixing device capable of mixing within the independent chambers.
 5. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of bottoms and the first support are integrated to form an assembly which may be manipulated as a unit.
 6. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tops and the second support are a monolithic unit.
 7. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tops and the second support are integrated to form an assembly which may be manipulated as a unit.
 8. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tops and the second support are a monolithic unit.
 9. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 wherein two or more of the plurality of fluid conduits are connected to each of the plurality of tops or each of the plurality of bottoms.
 10. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of fluid conduits are connected to each of the plurality of bottoms and each of the plurality of tops.
 11. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 wherein the bottoms and the first support are constructed of material stable at temperatures ranging from about −196° C. to about 1000° C.
 12. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least one seal engaging the plurality of bottoms and the plurality of corresponding tops to form sealed independent chambers.
 13. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 16 wherein each seal engages a bottom and a corresponding top to form one of the independent chambers.
 14. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 16 further comprising at least one cooling device positioned at a location between at least one heater and the seal(s) where said heater(s) are adjacent the bottoms.
 15. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 18 wherein said cooling device is located near to the point of engagement between the tops and the bottoms.
 16. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 further comprising a locking device engaging both the first support and the second support.
 17. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of sensors extending into the plurality of independent chambers.
 18. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 21 wherein the sensors are temperature measuring sensors.
 19. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least one temperature controlling device adjacent the plurality of bottoms.
 20. The multiple parallel processing assembly of claim 23 wherein the temperature controlling device is selected from the group consisting of a heating device and a cooling device.
 21. A method for conducting multiple parallel processing comprising: a) containing a plurality of materials within a plurality of corresponding vessels, each vessel having an open end and a fluid permeable end; b) containing the plurality of vessels within a plurality of corresponding bottoms, each bottom having a closed end and an open end, said plurality of bottoms supported by a first support; c) sealing, simultaneously, at least two of the open ends of the plurality of bottoms with corresponding tops supported by a second support to form multiple sealed independent chambers each multiple sealed independent chamber housing the corresponding vessel containing material; d) introducing at least one fluid to each sealed independent chamber to contact the materials contained therein; and e) withdrawing at least one effluent from each independent chamber.
 22. The method of claim 25 further comprising introducing an additional fluid to at least one independent chamber.
 23. The method of claim 26 wherein the additional fluid is introduced at a point in the process after the fluid has contacted the materials.
 24. The method of claim 25 further comprising individually adjusting and controlling processing parameters for each independent chamber.
 25. The method of claim 25 wherein a vessel effluent is generated through the contacting of the fluid and the materials and further comprising processing the vessel effluent before the withdrawing at least one effluent from each independent chamber.
 26. The method of claim 25 further comprising opening, simultaneously, at least two of the multiple sealed reaction chambers by removing at least two of the tops from the corresponding open ends of the bottoms.
 27. The method of claim 25 further comprising heating at least a portion of at least one of the independent chambers.
 28. The method of claim 30 further comprising removing the corresponding vessels from those bottoms having the tops removed. 